Tape control mechanism



March 14, 1939.- F. E, ANDERSON Y TAPE CONTROL MECHANISM l Filed Jan.1.9, 1937- 4 sheets-sheet 1 Y. NVENTOR du/ lt/@maiz ATTORNEY March 14,1939.` F. E. ANDERSON TAPE CONTROL MEGHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.19, 1957 Mln u i W. En f\ m y lNvENToR y fafz/f 141140501@ ATTORNEY "EE. ,exNDERsor-J TAPE CONTROL MECHANISM March 14, 1939.

Filled Jan. 19, 1957 4 sheets-sheet s zw nu' l lNvENToR l MKM.

ATTORNEY F. E. ./ANDERSON TAPE' CONTROL MECHANI SM 'Filed Jan. 19, 19374 Sheets-Sheet 4 mw l v ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14,` 1939 lnaires STATESATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

' This invention relates to apparatus fo-r controlling the movement andstorage of printed news bearing tape, otherwise known as a tape controlmechanism or tape feed device. Itis particularly adapted for use inassociation with news recording machines including printing telegraphmachines; it may be used specifically in cornbination with a* standardstock ticker using standard paper tape.

News projecting machines heretofore used have employed an electric motoroperating on a start-stop basis. Such devices are always a considerablenumber of quotations behind the stock market, so that if at any momentthe printing mechanism stops for any reason, a large number ofquotations recorded on the tape remain undisplayed until after themachine resumes operation.

'Ihe objects of this invention include: a tape control mechanism whichcan be combined with any standard tape machine of any kind employingeither paper or any Vo ther form of tape, such for example as thestandard stock ticker; a highly sensitive variable speed mechanism forarresting the motion of the news b-earing tape or sheet when the newsrecording machine stops printing; reducing the delay between therecording and displaying of a news item; elimination of all unnecessarymechanism; simplicity of operation; economy in cost of construction;reducing the number of stock tickers required; the employment of but asingle tape for recording,project ing and reference purposes; a portabletape control mechanism adapted to be readily associated with ordis-associated from a standard tape machine or stock ticker. Otherobjects will appear from the detailed description which follows.

In accordance withthis invention the tape or sheet carrying the recordednews, is drawn by a drawing roller over a control roller which rotatesin sliding contact with the tape, said drawing roller and control rollerbeing normally actuated by a common drive shaft which is drivencontinuously, but when any slack in the tape has been taken up, theincreased tension o-f the tape arrests the further rotation of thecontrol roller, f

thereby rendering said control roller and the drawing roller inactiverelative to the continuously driven shaft, whereby the further move- 5.0ment of the tape is arrested untilthe renewed operation of the newsrecording machine removes tautness from the tape, whereupon the drawingroller and the control roller are immediately reconnected to thecontinuously driven drive shaft, 55 to cause the drawing roller to atonce resume (Cl. ZV1-2.3)

the tape drawing or tape winding movement. The drawing roller is gearedto draw the tape at a speed not less than the maximum delivery speed ofthe news recording machine. normal conditions of operation therefore,the tape may be said to b-e semi-taut rather than slack, and thissemi-taut condition of the tape operating against increased springtension, tends to arrest the motion of the control roller and hold it ina position to eiect instantaneous disconnection of the drive shaft. Whenthe news recording machine is operating at maximum output, as forexample in printing marketclosing prices on a stock ticker, the tape isrunning free, and therefore has less tendency to arrest the motion ofthe control roller. Under these conditions the control roller travelsaway from the instantaneous disconnect position, until a reduction inspeed of operation of the'news recording machine causes the tape toapply progressively increased tension upon the control roller, wherebythe mov tion of the control roller is retarded against increased springtension as said roller once more approaches the disconnect position.

In the drawings comprising four sheets of fourteen figures numberedFigs. 1 to 5 inclusive, and 5a to 13 inclusive, certain embodiments ofthe invention are illustrated.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of my tape control mechanismassociated with news recording and projecting apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tape control mechanism and drive motorshown at the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a detailed endviewv of a portion of the mechanism of Fig. 3,looking from the right of said figure.

' Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the actuating mechanism.

Fig. 5a is an end view taken along the line 5er-5a of Fig.` 5, loo-kingin the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a detail.

Fig. '7 is a side view partly in vertical section taken along the line'l-l of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modied form of the device of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a plan View of my tape control mechanism mounted in portablecompact form.

Fig. 10 is a side View of the same.

Fig. 11 is an end View of a modied form of my tape control mechanism.

. Fig. 12 is a central vertical section of and f he same;

Under Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along the |3|3 of Fig. 12,looking in the direction of arrows.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring rst, generally, to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 5ainclusive. A news recording machine 2|) is shown at the right ofFig.` 1. Machine 20 may be any one of the many devices now in use forthe electrical transcription of messages For purposes of illustrationitwill be assumed that machine 28 is a standard stock ticker adapted torecord stock quotations upon a tape 2|, which will be advanced by anintermittent step by step movement from the right of Fig. l and fedthrough suitable projecting apparatus shown at the center of Fig. 1 tothe tape control mechanism shown generally at the left of that figure.

After the news recorded on tape 2| has been projected it may either bestored upon winding reel 38, or fed into a suitable receptacle such as awaste basket as hereinafter more fully described. After leaving stockticker 26, tape 2| passes over upper guide roller 76, then back aroundlower guide roller 23, to form an S curve, thence along tape g'uideway86 (Fig. 9), running parallel with reflecting mirror 27 (Fig. 1),beneath projector lens 26. A suitable. light source 28 illuminates tape2|. When tape 2| is translucent, light source 28 may be positionedbeneath the tape, but when stock ticker 20 uses standard paper tape, theprojector mechanism will be operated on the principle of opaqueprojection. It should be understood however, that as the projectormechanism. forms no part of the present invention, any preferred form ofprojecting mechanism, adapted-to operate to project recorded news, maybe used in conjunction with news recording machine 26.

The tape control mechanism is operated by a suitable continuously drivenprime mover 29, in this case an electric motor. In passing through thetape control mechanism, tape 2| is kept taut in any preferred manner asby a drawing roller 74 (Fig. 3), driven `by gear driven shaft 49. Toprevent smudging of the symbols recorded on tape 2|, guide roller 23 maybe provided with one or more suitable spacing collars 3| (Fig. 9),adapted to space the tape from. the surface of the guide roller. Tape 2|now passes over rotatable sleeve or thimble 59 (Fig. 2), then arounddirection changer 33, between tape drawing roller 74 (Fig. 3) and springarm roller 37, to winding reel 38, or, if tape 2| is not to be storedand kept as a permanent record, the tape after leaving tape drawingroller 74 and spring arm roller 37 may be allowed to feed by gravity(Fig. 10) into a waste basket (not shown). VRoller 37 is rotatablymounted upon a suitable arm 3'6, the roller being pressed against thetape by the action of a coiled spring 35 (Fig. 2).

The drive shaft 56 of the tape control mechanism, is continuously drivenfrom motor 29 and its associated groove pulley 42 mounted on the motor.shaft by means of motor belt 43 which drives gearbox pulley 44. Windingreel 38 is indirectly driven from groove pulley 4| associated with gearbox 47 by means of driving belt 48 which is connected to groove pulley39 of line the winding reel 38. The shaft (not shown) of Winding reel38, is supported in a bearing 46 which is in turn supported by a bracket45 mounted upon the casing of gear box 47V (see Figs. 2, 9

and 10). Winding reel 38 is provided with a removable reel head 80,which is detachably secured to the core of reel 38 by spring tensionedthumb screw 8|.

The mechanism for feeding the tape intermittently is best shown in Figs.5 and 5a. Gear 48 is mounted on a shaft 49 within gear box 47. It isdriven from gear box pulley 44 by means of the continuously driven shaft50 and Worm 53. Drive shaft 56 is rotatably mounted in sleeve bearings5| and 54. Bearings 5| and 54 are in turn locked in proper position inthe gear box casing by means of set screws 52 and 55 respectively.

Main spring 56 is mounted upon drive shaft 50 in such a manner thatunder normal conditions, spring 56 grips drive shaft 50 with sufficienttension to rotate with the shaft. VSpring 56 is so designed, however,that when counter-tension is applied to one end of the spring, its gripupon drive shaftY 50 is released, and the drive shaft will now turnfreely on its axis, while main spring 56 Will remain stationary.Referring to Fig. 5, the left hand end of main spring 56 is anchored ina hole drilled in the right hand end of Worm 53; and the right hand endof main spring 56 is similarly anchored in a hole 69 drilled in the faceof collar 58 (Figs. 5 and 5a), abutting the end of the sleeve bearing54. Collar 58 is rotatably mounted on drive shaft 50, and when mainspring 56 is under normal tension, drive shaft 50, main spring 56, worm53 and collar 58 revolve in unison, but when collar 58 is prevented fromrevolving, it immediately applies suicient counter-tension to mainspring 56 to cause the main spring to disengage drive shaft 50, and mainspring 56 and worm 53 immediately stop turning, thus bringing gear 48 toa stop. Drive shaft 5U, however, is driven continuously by motor 29(Fig. 2), by way of pulleys 42 and 44, and belt'l 43. The tape controlroller clutch mechanism indicated generally by reference numeral 57(Fig. 5), includes collar 58, sleeve or thimble 56, adapted to rotatewith collar 58, auxiliary spring 66, and anchoring pin 68, rotatablymounted on a shaft 66, which is mounted upon a supporting bracket 65.The end of shaft 66 is secured to bracket 65 in any suitable manner asby riveting. Shaft 66 may be provided with a head 64 turned from thesame piece of metal. To reduce friction between the shaft and thimble59, a ball race 63 may be provided. Anchoring pin 68 is mounted upon awasher 62. Washer 62 is in frictional engagement and rotatable in unisonwith, thimble 56. The opposite ends of auxiliary spring 65 aredetachably anchored by looping one end about anchoring pin 68, and theother end may be similarly loopedV about anchoring pin 6| which issecured in the end face of collar 58. Auxiliary spring 60 is rotatablymounted upon shaft 66, while pin 68 guides in cam slot 67 of collar 58(Fig. 5a). Main spring 56 and auxiliary spring 60 are oppositely wound.

As shown in Fig. 5, main spring 56 is a left hand spring, or is woundcounter-clockwise, while auxiliary spring 66 is aV right hand spring, oris wound clockwise. When thimble 59, washer 62,

pin 68, auxiliary spring 66, collar 58, main spring 56, and drive shaft50, are revolving as a single unit, the momentum gained by thimble 59,tends to advance washer 62, until anchoring pin 68 approaches theleading end of cam slot 67, substantiallyas indicated in Fig. 5a. Thisis the position of the several parts when due to slackness in` the tape,thimble 58, Vover which the tape upon a windingreel rides, is revolving.When tape drawing roller 14 (Fig. 3), removes slackness from tape 2|,the tape becomes taut and hugsf a larger portion of the surface ofthimble 59 to apply increasing braking pressure on the thimble, whichgradually loses momentum and finally stops.k As thimble 58 carryingwasher 52, anchoring pin 68, and auxiliary spring 66, loses momentum, itlags behind collar 58 and main spring 56 driven by main drive shaft 56,and the leading edge of cam slot 61 moves ahead of anchoring pin 68,until said pin approaches the trailing edge of cam slot 61. In thisposition, anchoring pins 68 and 6| are brought closer together, againstthe increased tension of auxiliary spring 66. This increased tension ofauxiliary spring 66, tends to apply counter-tension to main spring 56through collar 58, to which main spring 56 is anchored at 69, until theincreased tension of auxiliary spring 60, acting through collar 58against the normal tension of main spring 56, disengages main spring 56from the main drive shaft 56; and mainy spring 56 and worm 53 stoprevolving, and gear 48 comes to rest. When pressure is removed fromthimble 59, main spring 56, and

auxiliary spring 66, seek to resume normal ten-` sion, and indissipating their stored energy, the springs tend to force anchoring pin68 along cam slot 61, in a direction away. from anchoring pin 6|, untilthe energy stored by main spring 56 under counter-tension, is dissipatedsufficiently to permit main spring 56 to re-engage drive shaft 50, thusrevolving spring 56, worm 53, gear 48, collar 58, auxiliary spring 66,washer 62 and thimble 59.

A compact self contained tape contro-l mechanism is shown, by way ofillustration in Figs. 9 and 10. The projector and news recording machineare omitted. Metal base 82, supports motor 29, the tape controlmechanism, and the reflecting mirror of the projector apparatus'.Basef82 allows ample space fo-r the projector apparatus. Motor 29 issupported upon a rubber mat 83. Gear box 41 may be supported upon hardrubber bushings 84-85 Tape 2| with the recorded symbols facing upwardsenters the device between guide rollers 23 and 16 (Fig. 9). It thenpasses along a tape guideway 86, to which a reflecting mirror 21 may bepivotally secured at 88 and 81. Tape guideway 86 and mirror 21 may forma part of a bracket 89 secured to base 82 by machine screws 96. Afterpassing along tape guideway 86 where projection has taken place, tape 2|rides over thimble 59, around a direction changer 33, and passes betweentape drawing roller 14, and spring arm roller 31. Rollers 14 and 31 maybe' milled or knurled to insure a firm grip on tape 2|. The tape may bedisposed of in any convenient manner. If a permanent record is desired,it'may be wound 38, having a detachable head If a permanent record isnot required, gravity into a suitable plate 86. the tape 2| may be fedby waste basket (not shown). Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate one way of doingthis. Spring arm 36, which is screw pivoted at 13, supports a mounting16 for a guide plate 15. Tape 2| may be looped back over guide plate 15,by means of a looping guide wire 19, pivoted at 18, to guide wire 11.Guide wires 19 and 11 are secured to guide plate 15. After passingbetween guide plate 15 and guide wires 19 and 11, tape 2| feeds bygravity into a basket or other receptacle. Drawing roller 14 and groovedpulley 4|` are both driven onshaft 49 of gear 48. Grooved pulley 4|,drives pulley 39 of winding reel 38, by means of belt 46.

Many variations of the inventive concept will occur to those skilled inthe art. Figs. 11, 12 and 13 illustrate one such variation. Tape 2| isdrawn by tape drawing roller 14 over a series of guide rollers 1|.Roller 12 of lever arm 9| loops the slack tape (Fig. 1l). When tape 2|stops feeding, arm 9| rises as the loop of slack tape is stored on awinding reel 38 (see Fig. 10). Arm 9|, shaft 92, and spring lever 93,move in unison. Collar 96 is rotatably mounted on drive shaft 56. Mainspring 56 is anchored to worm 53 and in an anchoring hole 91 of collar96. Main spring 56 under normal tension binds on main shaft 56 andrevolves with the shaft to turn worm 53 and collar 96. Auxiliary spring94 normally allows collar 94 to revolve, thus allowing worm 53 to drivegear 48, to permit tape drawing roller 14 to take up the slack in tape2|. When the slack tape is taken up, arm 9| moves shaft 92 and springlever 93 so as to bind auxiliary spring 94 on collar 96, to preventcollar 96 from turning.

The continued rotation of drive shaft 56 imparts counter-tension to mainspring 56 which disengages from the drive shaft and ceasesl to revolve.Worm 53 and gear 48 now stop moving, and drive shaft 56 runs free. slackagain, lever arm 9| moves downwards, auxiliary spring 94 releases collar96, which turns on shaft 56 to permit main spring 56 to resume itsnormal tension and bind on shaft 56, whereupon shaft 56, main spring 56,worm 53, gear 48 and collar 96 revolve together.

t should be understood that shaft 49 is geared to drive tape drawingroller 14 so that it will draw tape 2| faster than ticker 26 can deliverthe tape when operating at maximum speed. By this arrangement, in theembodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 10, tape 2| is neverslack enough to form a loop. Even when ticker 26 is operating at maximumspeed tape 2 I rides over thimble 59, the tape under these conditionsbeing neither taut nor slack. When ticker 26 stops even momentarily,tape 2| becomes semi-taut and hugs a larger section of thimble 59andwith increased tension, thereby arresting the movement of the thimbleto bring worm 59,y gear 48 and drawing '.roller 14 to an immediate stop.The instant that ticker 26 records a symbol and advances the tape even`but a single step, thimble 59 turns under the action of the coiledsprings to permit main spring V56 to grip continuously driven shaft 56to drive gear 48, shaft 49, and drawing roller Y 14 long enough to takeup the tape. This is an improvement over devices of the prior art,wherein the time lag between the operation of the stock ticker and there-operation of the tape take up mechanism is considerable, thuspermitting the stock ticker to gain a considerable lead on the take upmechanism before the latter commences to operate.

As my mechanism responds variously to changes in tape pressure appliedto thimble 59 stopping under heavy pressure, moving slowly under lightpressure and faster when tape 2| rides free, my device may be said to bea variable speed device and in this respect differs from the devices ofthe prior art which are incapable of speed variation. By using auxiliaryspring 66 to counter-act main spring 56 to effect gradual starting andstopping, a cushioning effect in starting and stopping is obtained. Bycushioning in this manner the speed of movement of tape 2l isprogressively varied from zero through slow to fastto slow to As soon astape 2| becomes zero again, without any sudden jerking movement'. Thisis very important because it eliminates any' tendency to causeflickering of the images projectedupon the projector screen. Theelimination of flickering is veryimportant in the satisfactory operationof projecting systems of this character.

When assembled in portable formsubstantially as shown in Fig. 9, mydevicecan be placed so close to a stock ticker 20, that it will projectthe images of all but the last three or four quotations recorded on tape2 I. This is a distinct improvement over the prior art devices which areinvariably twelve or more quotations behind the ticker. My mechanismtherefore substantially reduces the interval of time which elapsesbetween the recording and projecting. of the stock quotation.

The snubber shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8, may be used instead of guiderollers'. The snubber is made from a flat piece of metal 98 rounded oifto eliminate sharp corners. A single turn of tape passes around snubber98. To retain the tape in position, a finger 99 is pivoted at |00, tothe frame l! on which snubber 98 is supported. A spring' catch H32secures finger 9S in operative position. A guide finger H03 also servesto prevent tape 2| from working loose on snubber 98.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device of the character described for feeding recorded news byan intermittentv step by step movement and in combination, a driveshaft, a coiled spring mounted on and normally gripping said shaft withsufficient tension to revolveftherewith, means, operable under theinfluence of said revolving spring, to remove slackness in theintermittently moving news sheet, and means operable responsive to theincreased tension of the news sheet when slackness has been removedtherefrom to hold one end of the coiled spring stationary to impartcounter tension to said spring to break its grip on said shaft therebyarresting the movement-of the slackness removing means.

2. In a device of the character described for feeding a news sheet by anintermittent step by step movement and in combination, a driving shaft,a driven member, a coiled spring anchored `by said driven member andnormally gripping said shaft with sufcient tension to revolve therewithand operate said driven member, means operable under control of thedriven member to remove slackness from the intermittentlymovingnewssheet, a collar rotatably mounted-onsaid'driving shaft and attached toone end ofsaid coiled spring, and means including a thimble rotatablewith and relative to said collar operable responsive tothe increased4tension of the news sheet when slackness has been removed therefrom toretard the rotation of the collar to cause said spring to break its gripon said driving shaft-and arrest the movement of the driven member.

3. A tape control mechanism for translatingthe intermittent step bystep-advance of thev recorded tape into a progressive start-stopmovement comprising, a continuously'driven-shaft, worm drive mechanismrotatably mounted von said shaft, a

' coiled spring anchored to said worm drive mechanism and mountedvon and.normally gripping said shaft with sufficient tension to revolvetherewith and rotate said worm drive mechanism, means operable undercontrol Vof said worm driven mechanism to remove slackness from therecordedjtape, a collar Vrotatably mountedon saidcontinuously drivenshaft for engaging the other end of said coiled spring,- and means,rotated .in contact with thetape by said collar and operable by theincreased tension of the recorded tape when slackness-has.` been removedtherefrom to retard the rotation of the collar thereby impartingsufficient counter-tension to the revolving spring to cause saidspringto break its grip on said continuously driven shaft thereby arrestingthe movement of the spring and of the worm drivemechanism.

4l.v A tape control mechanism for translating the intermittent step bystep delivery of the recorded tape into a progressive start-stopmovement comprising, mechanism for variously moving the recorded tape toremove slackness therefrom, a continuously moving drive shaft, a coiledspring having one end secured to said tape moving mechanism, saidspringbeing mounted on and normally gripping said driveshaft withsuicient tension to revolve therewith and operate said tape movingmechanism, and means normally rotated in contact with the tape by thedrive shaft but held inoperative by increased frictional engagement withthe tape when slackness has been removed therefrom, to impartcounter-tension to the coiled springthereby causing said spring to breakits grip on said continuously moving driving shaft thereby arresting themovement of the spring and of the tape moving mechanism.

5. In a tape control mechanism and in combination, a drive shaft, acoiled spring mounted on and normally gripping said shaft with lighttension to revolve therewith, a tape drawer attached toV said spring andrevolving with said shaft under control of said spring to removeslackness from an intermittently operated news recording tape, a tapecontacting thimble mounted for'rotation with said spring gripped shaftwhen the tape is running free, a collar rotatably mountcdrelative tovsaid shaft and said thimble and attachedlto one endof the coiledspring, and means. carried by Vsaid thimble and operable responsive tothe tension exerted by the tape upon the thimble when slackness isremoved from said tape, to reduce the speed of rotation of said collarrelative tosaid'shaft and impart counter-tension to said spring,therebybreaking its grip on said shaft and arresting the movement of thetape drawer.

6. In a tape control mechanism and in combination, a drive shaft, a mainspring coiled about and normally gripping said shaft with light tensionto revolve therewith, tape drawingV mechanism operable under control ofsaid shaft driven main spring to remove slackness from an intermittentlyfed news recording tape, a thimble mounted for rotation under controlof-said 'shaft driven main spring, the surface of said thimble being. incontact with the running tape, an auxiliaryspring for controllingrotation of said thimble when the tape is running free, and means,interconnecting said main and auxiliary springs and normally rotatablewith said springs and said thimble, operable in conjunction with saidauxiliaryspring responsive to tension exerted upon the thimble by thetape when slackness is removed therefrom, to impart counter-tension tosaid main spring to break its grip on said shaft and arrest the movementof the tape drawing'mechanism.

7. VIn a tape control mechanism and in combination, a drive shaft, amain spring coiled about and normally gripping said shaft with lighttension to revolve therewith, tape drawing mechanism rotatable undercontrol of said revolving spring `to remove slack-ness from anintermittently running news recording tape, a cylinder mounted forrotation under control of said shaft driven main spring, the `surface-oisaid'cylinder being said shaft and arrest in contact with the tape, anauxiliary spring for controlling rotation of said cylinder when the tapeis running free, and a collar interconnecting said main and auxiliarysprings, and rotatably mounted relative to said cylinder and saidsprings and operable under control of said auxiliary spring responsiveto tension exerted by the tape upon the surface of the cylinder whenslackness is removed frorn the tape, to impart counter-tension to saidmain spring suicient to break its grip on the movement of the tapedrawing mechanism.

8. In a tape control mechanism and in combination, a drive shaft, a mainspring coiled about and normallygripping said shaft with suicienttension to revolve therewith, a Worm driven tape drawer operable undercontrol of said shaft driven main spring to remove slackness from anintermittently running news recording tape, a cylinder mounted forrotation under control of said rotating spring, the surface of saidcylinder contacting the running tape, an auxiliary spring controllingthe rotation of said cylinder, and a collar interconnecting said mainand auxiliary springs and normally rotatable with said springs and saidcylinder, said collar and auxiliary spring co-acting responsive totension exerted upon the surface of the cylinder by the tape whenslackness is removed therefrom, to impart counter-tension to said mainspring to break its grip on said shaft thereby arresting the movement ofthe Worm driven tape drawer.

FRANK E. ANDERSON.

